


Happy Birthday

by ebonyfeather



Category: NCIS
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-10
Updated: 2012-03-10
Packaged: 2017-11-01 18:29:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/359914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ebonyfeather/pseuds/ebonyfeather
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony has a birthday to remember</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Happy Birthday

 

The world was starting to spin slowly and he had to blink to make his eyes focus. Tony looked down at the beer bottle in his hand and frowned.

 

“Hey, who drank my beer?”

 

Sensing someone standing nearby, he turned, a little unsteadily. Gibbs was watching him with an amused smile on his face.

 

“You did, DiNozzo. Maybe you should lay off the booze for a while; you’re drunk.”

 

Tony stared at him for a moment, then shook his head. “’M’not.”

 

Gibbs carefully extracted the bottle from Tony’s hand, steering the younger man toward the door that led out of the back of the bar. It wasn’t entirely for Tony’s benefit; if he was being honest, he’d had a little too much as well and could use some fresh air. They passed by Ziva and Abby dancing with Ducky, the two women laughing as they kept a tight hold of his hands in case he tried to make a quick getaway. He looked as though he was thinking about it. It was clear that he and Tony weren’t the only ones who would be suffering with hangovers tomorrow morning; it was a pretty safe bet that there wasn’t a sober person left in the room.

 

Tony sat down on the low wall outside and let the cool air banish the effects of the alcohol as he wondered again why he’d let them talk him into this. Abby and Ziva had decided that, since it was his birthday, they were going to throw a party. For a while, he actually thought they’d taken heed of his threats and warnings and given up but then he’d fallen for the old ‘let-me-buy-you-a-quiet-drink-after-work’ scam. He wouldn’t have, except it came from Gibbs, the last person he would have suspected as being a co-conspirator. When the boss got him here, he found everyone else waiting and the two women looking delighted that their surprise party had actually been a surprise to him.

 

Still, he was flattered that they had gone to the effort for him- not that he would admit it to them. They’d got him a cake and everything, although Abby had been kind with the candles and just put on a few.

 

“’You enjoying yourself, Tony?” Gibbs asked a few moments later. He was leaned back against the door to the bar. “Only you look like you’re wondering if you can get away before Ziva notices.”

 

Tony laughed. That thought had crossed his mind at least twice since he arrived but that woman would track him like a bloodhound and bring him back. He was feeling a little more alert now, the cool night air doing the trick.

 

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

 

Gibbs just smiled. “Hey, you never did tell me what you wished for when you blew out your candles.”

 

“You.”

 

The word just popped out of his mouth before his in-head censors had time to act and he could have kicked himself. That was, if Gibbs didn’t kick him first. At present, his boss was staring at him in a mixture of surprise and confusion, wondering if he’d just heard correctly. Unfortunately, Tony was too slow off the mark in laughing it off as a joke. Gibbs shifted away from the wall, taking a step closer.

 

“Did you just say…?”

 

Damn alcohol; he tended to say stupid things when he drank too much.

 

“Tony?” Gibbs pressed.

 

Tony sighed. “Yeah, I did.”

 

Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound, as his mother used to say. He stood, reaching out to curve a hand around the back of Gibbs’ neck and pull him close enough to press a kiss to his lips. If he was going to get fired for making a move on the boss, he might as well make it worthwhile.

 

What he didn’t expect was an armful of Gibbs as the man pressed closer and kissed him back. Gibbs’ arms around his waist, holding him close, felt so good.

 

Then, the alcohol induced haze lifted a little and he moved back.

 

“Why?”

 

“Why what?”

 

Tony knew he was tempting fate by pushing this but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. “Why’d you kiss me back?”

 

“Because I’ve been waiting for you to make up your damn mind for ages, DiNozzo,” Gibbs said.

 

“Boss?” Did he mean what Tony thought he meant?

 

Gibbs smiled. “We aren’t at work now, Tony; you can stop calling me ‘boss’.”

 

Tony nodded. “Sorry.” He realised that Gibbs’ hands still rested on his waist. “Um, bo- Gibbs…”

 

“I think we’re a little past that at this point, don’t you?” Gibbs said softly. “How about you call me Jethro?”

 

As Tony tried to get his head around calling the man by that name, Gibbs pulled him back against his body and kissed him again. With Gibbs’ lips on his, pressed against him, any last shred of rational thought that Tony had simply drifted away.

 

“Now,” Gibbs said a moment later. “I think it’s about time we escaped, don’t you think?”

 

At Tony’s nod, he opened the door to go back inside. He made his way across to Abby, who had now decided that Palmer wanted to dance, giving Ducky a rest.

 

“Abbs, I’m going to take Tony home,” he said. “I think he’s had a bit too much to drink.”

 

Abby’s crimson-painted lips curved up into a knowing smile. “Too much to drink, huh? Yeah, right.” She looked around him to where Tony was standing near the bar, putting his jacket on then back to Gibbs. “Finally made a move, did he?”

 

“Abby.” The warning tone in the way he said her name would have had anyone else shutting up but this was Abby.

 

“Never mind; I’ll ask him tomorrow,” she said with a laugh. When he glared, she relented. “OK, OK, I’ll leave him alone! Go, have fun.”

 

\---------

 

Tony awoke to the sound of drums beating inside his skull and groaned. What the hell had he drunk last night? Knowing he was just putting off the inevitable, he forced his eyes open a crack and immediately regretted it. The light sliced in and made the pounding in his head.

 

He sighed and dragged the bedcovers over his head, frowning when he realised that he wasn’t alone in the bed. And come to think of it- Tony did a quick mental check –yes, there was a distinct lack of clothes. There was an arm resting over his waist and a warm- equally naked –body curled up against his back. He closed his eyes, sifting through the slightly hazy memories of the night before.

 

_The bar… Gibbs... He’d kissed Gibbs…Oh, man, then they’d come back here and…_

 

“I know you’re awake,” an amused voice said and Tony blinked at the light as the covers he’d dragged over his head were pulled aside.

 

Tony reluctantly turned over to face Gibbs, trying to force himself to remain calm. He’d made a pass at his boss and ended up sleeping with him. The trouble was, now that Gibbs was sober, was he going to be quite as welcoming?

 

“Please don’t fire me.”

 

The words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them and he had an overwhelming urge to drag the covers back over his head again and hide.

 

Gibbs was leaned on one elbow, watching him intently as he assured him that he had no intention of firing him. Instead, he reached out to Tony, drawing him closer and pressing a kiss to his lips.

 

“I never said last night,” Gibbs began, smiling. “Happy Birthday, Tony.”

 

This was turning out to be one of his best birthdays ever, Tony thought.

 

 

 


	2. A.W.O.L

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gibbs is acting strangely

 

Tony DiNozzo was confused. Two days ago, he’d woken up with Leroy Jethro Gibbs in his bed. Sure, there had been a good deal of alcohol involved in getting them there in the first place, but Gibbs hadn’t exactly run away, had he? Quite the opposite, in fact; they’d spent most of the weekend together.

 

This morning, he’d gone out to check out a lead with McGee straight away and hadn’t got back until lunchtime. When he’d arrived at NCIS, however, Gibbs had barely said two words to him outside of giving him his assignment. He’d had tried a couple of times to talk to him but he’d got the brush-off each time. Tony could have kicked himself for even allowing this to bother him; one weekend and he was acting like a teenage girl with a crush. That didn’t stop him from hoping that Gibbs would remember that they had planned to go out for a drink after work, however.

 

He made his way down to Abby’s lab to ask her about the results from a trace she had been running. He told himself that it was just a coincidence that was also the last place Gibbs had been heading. When he got there, there was no Gibbs, just Abby. She was dancing around the lab to the sound of whatever metal music was blaring from her stereo and she came skidding to a stop when she noticed Tony in the doorway.

 

“Hi Tony.”

 

“Hey, Abbs.” He asked about his results and then casually mentioned Gibbs. “Have you seen him recently? Someone said he was down here.”

 

Abby shook her head. “Sorry, Tony; he left already.”

 

“It’s OK, I’ll just catch up with him upstairs,” he said, turning to leave.

 

“No, I mean he left. You know, went home.”

 

She saw the look on his face, the dismay in his eyes, and grabbed him by the arm to lead him further into the lab. Turning down her music, she hugged him.

 

“Aww, Tony! You want to talk about it?”

 

“There’s nothing to talk about,” he insisted.

 

She smiled. “I know you better than that but if you don’t want to talk then that’s fine. How about if I talk and you just tell me if I miss anything?”

 

Taking his silence as a yes, she sat him down, taking a seat next to him and linking her arm through his. “So, Friday night, at the party, you have a little too much to drink. So does Gibbs, and it means that you both get up the nerve to do something about the fact that you fancy the pants off each other. So, anyway, after you leave you end up at either his or your place and, well, I won’t go there, even though I’m getting some _really_ interesting visuals to go with that thought…”

 

She glanced at Tony, saw the flush in his cheeks and his wide eyes, and relented. “Sorry. So, everything’s going fine until today. He’s acting weird and then he leaves without telling you- I’m guessing you had plans?- and now you’re thinking, what have I done?” She paused. “Am I close?”

 

Tony nodded. “Scarily so,” he confirmed. “How’d you know?”

 

She smiled. “I’ve been watching you and the boss-man tippy-toe around this forever. Oh, and he told me once, even though he tried to deny saying anything afterwards. He wants you, so don’t let him acting like an ass- it’s not like he’s ever going to change and you know it- end this before you’ve had a chance to begin.”

 

“He left, Abby,” Tony told her. “It’s obvious from the way he’s been acting today that he thinks the whole thing was a mistake.”

 

Abby sighed, sounding frustrated. “Tony, he doesn’t think it’s a mistake. Look, if I tell you something, you have to promise that you didn’t hear it from me, OK?” He nodded. “It’s nothing you did. Gibbs hates having everyone knowing his business, in his private life, right? Well, I happen to know that a certain Director gave him an earful about inter-office relationships this morning. Apparently, she saw you together on Saturday.”

 

That would make the man mad alright, having to discuss his love life with his boss and former flame.

 

“Hang on a minute, how’d you know about that?”

 

Abby grinned. “I have my ways,” she said. “Now, go and find him. If I know Gibbs, he’ll be in his basement, brooding.”

 

\--------

 

Half an hour later, Tony knocked on the door to Gibbs’ house. There was no answer, nor to the phone when he rang that instead. Thinking back to what Abby had said, he let himself into the back yard and headed for the back door. As it was open, he let himself in and went down the steps to the basement. Sure enough, Gibbs was there, with a beer bottle in one hand, scowling at the skeleton of a boat that was currently taking up most of the space.

 

“Wondered where you’d gone,” he said as he descended the stairs.

 

Gibbs looked up and immediately his expression softened. He stood up from the counter he was leaning on and went to the small cooler in the corner.

 

“You want a beer?”

 

Tony shook his head.

 

Gibbs sighed. “About earlier; I shouldn’t have just left like that.”

 

“It’s OK,” Tony told him. “I know about Director Sheppard’s little chat, about how she’s got her panties in a bunch about you and me.”

 

“How?”

 

Tony smiled. “I have my sources.” His expression sobered. “Look, if you want, I can just go. I mean, we could just pretend that nothing happened, go back to how we were.”

 

Gibbs frowned for a second and then shook his head. He put down his beer and strode over to Tony.

 

“You could really just go back to that?” he asked, “Because I couldn’t. Dammit, DiNozzo, I waited too long for you just to let you back out now.”

 

Tony suddenly found himself pressed against the wooden hull of the boat behind him, with Gibbs’ face only inches from his.

 

“You really want to leave?” he asked.

 

Tony shook his head, feeling more relieved that he would ever have admitted to, and slid a hand around Gibbs’ neck to pull him in closer for a kiss. Gibbs’ hands began to wander, slipping under Tony’s jacket to push it of his shoulders.

 

\--------

 

The following morning, Tony opened his eyes and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings then he smiled. Gibbs’ arm was draped possessively over his waist, the older man still asleep, his breath warm against Tony’s shoulder. Tony gently lifted his arm and turned to face him, trying not to wake him but it was too late. The movement had disturbed him and Gibbs opened his eyes.

 

“Planning on running out on me?” he joked.

 

Tony smiled. “Never crossed my mind,” he replied. “You?”

 

Gibbs shifted them suddenly, pinning Tony to the mattress and leaning down for a kiss.

 

“Now what do you think?” he asked.

 

Tony wriggled a little below him, making Gibbs suck in a breath. “I’m thinking that you need to convince me,” he said.

 

And Gibbs did just that, leaving it very clear in Tony’s mind that there were no second thoughts.

 

When Tony got into work later that morning, he had a note on his desk from Abby, asking him to go to the lab ASAP. He frowned, wondering what could be so important, and headed down there.

 

“So?” she asked, the minute he set foot though the door. She must have made an early start on the Kaff-Pow because she was hopping about like a kid on a sugar high, he thought.

 

“’So’ what?”

 

That earned him a sharp smack on the arm. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

 

As much as he wanted to draw this out, to leave her wondering, he couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at his lips.

 

“Everything’s great,” he told her, telling her a heavily censored version of last night’s events. “Thanks for giving me a shove in his direction.”

 

Abby let out a delighted squeal and hugged him.

 

“What is going on?”

 

Tony pulled out of Abby’s embrace and turned to see Ziva in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe. “Nothing,” he said, smiling innocently.

 

He could tell that the woman didn’t believe him, turning her questioning look to Abby. Tony caught Abby’s eye and shook his head minutely.

 

“Oh, Tony and I just couldn’t keep our love a secret any longer,” Abby said, planting a kiss on his cheek and then smiling at Ziva.

 

Ziva just glared from one to the other and sighed. “Fine. Do not tell me.”

 

“Something you wanted, Ziva?” Abby asked, going back to her desk. Ziva ignored her, looking to Tony instead.

 

“Tony; we have to go,” she said, turning on her heel and leaving, glancing over her shoulder in the hopes that Tony was following.

 

“Thanks Abbs,” Tony said before hurrying to catch her up. It might not be the wisest move, but teasing Ziva was fun sometimes. He wondered how long it would be before she figured out the truth.

 

When they reached the car, Tony got into the passenger seat.

 

“Where the hell have you been, DiNozzo?” Gibbs asked as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot as break-neck speed.

 

“He was flirting with Abby,” Ziva interjected helpfully from the back seat.

 

Tony saw Gibbs raise an eyebrow in question and shook his head. “Not true, Boss.”

 

“I think, if you look closely, there is still lipstick on his cheek,” Ziva pointed out, making Tony check. Sure enough, there was.

 

He sighed. “Sorry, Boss.”

 

“You will be,” he heard Gibbs mutter under his breath, just loud enough for his ears only.

 

The possessive look in Gibbs’ eyes sent a shiver down his spine. He grinned; he had the feeling that he was going to pay for it later, and what fun that promised to be.  

 

 


End file.
